Every once in a while I shoot a wedding where the place matters as much as the people. Shannon and Brian’s Warburton Stables wedding in Elkton, Maryland was one of those, because Warburton Stables isn’t a venue. It’s their farm. They bought it a few years back when it was, in Shannon’s words, in shambles, and they rebuilt the whole thing with their own hands. Dumpster after dumpster. Miles of fence. A new driveway. Old buildings that had to come down before anything could go up. Brian told me that everything he did out there for four years, he did with this day in the back of his head. So when a few hundred people pulled onto the property in October, they weren’t walking onto a pretty backdrop. They were walking into the story.
I get asked a lot, as a Maryland and Delaware wedding photographer and videographer, whether a wedding at home can feel as polished as one at a real venue. This is my answer. Shannon and Brian told me they wanted “a really big party with a little bit of ceremony,” and that’s exactly what they built.
The morning started in a motorcoach parked on the farm, which honestly fit the whole vibe. Burnt orange, barn red, eggplant, lavender, and eucalyptus were everywhere, from the flowers to the tent to the girls’ pajamas. Shannon did a first look with all four of her parents before she saw Brian, and then the two of them met at the corn crib. That little building ended up being the heart of the day. It’s where they saw each other for the first time, where the grandkids rang the bell to kick off the ceremony, and where the after party ended up once the tent wound down.
Here’s a detail I love. Brian originally planned to propose at the pond, but it rained, so he ended up proposing in an equipment shed next to a tractor. Shannon was in work boots and a volunteer t-shirt, and somewhere in the middle of it their grandson leaned on a horn. So getting married at that pond, finally, the way it was supposed to go the first time, felt like a full circle moment.
Brian wanted the ceremony to start right on time so people would look at their watches and go, yep, that’s Brian. It did. Shannon walked in with her sister, then her parents, then her kids, collecting flowers from guests as she went. Brian’s son played the processional live. Then the two of them tied the knot, literally, in a handfasting ceremony while his son and daughter-in-law sang. The grandsons were on ring duty. Their granddaughter and grandson stood up as honor attendants. Shannon had warned me ahead of time that she expected to be a mess, and she was, and so was everybody else. And then the recessional kicked in and the whole wedding party broke into a flash mob down the aisle. I’ve shot a lot of ceremony exits. That one is up there.
Cocktail hour at a farm wedding is a different animal. In this case, several animals. There was a fluffy cow, a pot-belly pig, a fainting goat, and a mini horse wandering around the arena while golf carts ran welcome drinks and a couple of friends played a live set. Dinner was food trucks parked outside a big sailcloth tent, wood-fired pizza and barbecue and the Wellwood truck, with funnel cakes showing up later. Nobody sat still, which is my favorite kind of reception to shoot.
The moment that got me came right after Shannon and Brian’s welcome speech. Brian’s mom, Helen, had just turned 99. She sat right beside them while the whole tent sang Happy Birthday and one of her great grandsons walked a cupcake over to her. I had to take a second behind the camera on that one. After that it was toasts, a first dance to Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood that opened up to the whole room, the EBE Talent band and DJ keeping the floor packed all night, and “Simple Man” to close it out. Then everybody wandered back to the corn crib. Of course they did.
Shannon and Brian have been together close to ten years and have known each other for twenty. They wave at each other like crazy when they pass on tractors. When I asked Shannon what she was looking forward to most, she said seeing all her favorite people in one place. That’s the whole day in one sentence, and I was lucky enough to get a version of it in the camera.
Tips for Planning a Wedding on Your Own Property
If you’re thinking about a wedding at home or on a family farm here in Cecil County, here’s what I’d tell you after shooting Shannon and Brian’s day:
- Hire a planner who runs the day, not just the decor. The Bridal Bestie had shuttles, food trucks, a mobile bar, a band, and a tent crew all landing on one private driveway. That only works when one person is holding the whole thing together.
- Pick one spot that means something and build around it. The corn crib carried the first look, the ceremony bell, and the after party. People remember a place when they see it three different ways.
- Figure out your getting ready space early. A motorcoach on site kept everyone close, and it gave us real light and real character for the morning photos.
- Give cocktail hour something to do. Golf carts and farm animals kept a few hundred people happy while we knocked out family photos and portraits.
- Watch the fall light. An October ceremony in Elkton means the sun goes down not long after. Keep portraits tight after the ceremony, or step out of the tent for a few minutes once it gets low.
- Expect dust, mud, and tractors. Tell your photo and video team ahead of time. We’ll bring the right shoes.
Shannon’s own advice for anyone still planning: breathe and start early. She started four years early. It showed.
Planning a farm or private estate wedding in Maryland or Delaware? We photograph and film weddings with a documentary approach, which is a fancy way of saying your gallery and film will feel like your day, not a photo shoot. Reach out and tell us what you’re dreaming up.
Vendor Credits
Venue: Warburton Stables, the couple’s family farm in Elkton, MD
Planning + Design: The Bridal Bestie
Photography + Videography: Christopher Ginn Studios
Band, DJ + Ceremony Sound: EBE Talent
Florals: Twisted Vine Wedding and Event Florals
Hair + Makeup: Agape Bridals
Wedding Dress: Luxe and Lace
Tent, Tables + Chairs: Eastern Shore Tents and Events
Linens: CV Linens
Food Trucks: Love.Crust.Pizza, Ennis’s BBQ, The Wellwood, Finnegan’s Famous
Mobile Bar: Bar Bliss
Officiant: Nancy Leizear, friend of the couple
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